Pédale du Jour

The 6ixty5ive belongs to the NUX series that captures well-known amplifiers and pedals in an overdrive. This one aims at the 1965 blackface Fenders: amps known above all for their sparkling clean, but which at high volume give a punchy, harmonically rich overdrive with natural compression. Blues and rock guitarists turned them up a long way for that, with all the consequences for their ears. This pedal brings that sound down to a lower volume.

According to NUX the design is inspired by the Vemuram Jan Ray, a Japanese boutique overdrive. What NUX wants to carry over is clear sustain and an organic breakup. The circuit is fully analogue and built around a JRC4558 op-amp, which is meant to recreate the saturation of a valve amp.

The controls are straightforward. Level sets the output volume and Gain the amount of overdrive, while Bass and Treble adjust the low and high end. That takes it from an almost clean boost to a solid crunch. Next to the power socket sits a small trim pot for fine-tuning the saturation. It acts as a kind of compression: the further it is turned up, the more the pedal squeezes the sound the way a valve amp does. Because it is out of sight, you set it once and then leave it alone.

The footswitch is true bypass, so your signal passes through untouched when the pedal is off, and it can also run on a battery.

If you want the sound of a cranked Fender without the volume, or are curious about the Jan Ray but first want to hear whether that character suits you, this is a simple place to start. If you expect a mid control or a separate boost, you will not find them on this pedal.